FISHING REPORT 10/13/2016

Our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to everyone having to deal with the flood waters.   It will be a slow recovery but with prayers, families and friends it can be accomplished.  May God Bless and Keep You Safe.

With sunshine, blue skies and light winds fishing has been good this week.  We are experiencing dirty water but the weekend looks good with warm fall days and NNE winds 10 to 15 mph. We’ve weighed Speckled Trout, Puppy Drum, and Flounder several times this week.

 

Inshore/Nearshore

Speckled Trout – the bite has turned on over the last couple of days from the beach and nearshore jetties. Several customers have brought in limits from this area fishing Mirrolures, Grubs, Gulp and Live  Shrimp.  The Haystacks, Newport River, Spooner’s Creek, Marsh areas and Creeks up the ICW all will be good areas to fish. We haven’t heard any reports from the Cape Lookout area being most anglers haven’t ventured up there since the storm.  Just from the bite this week only tells us the fall bite should be only improving each week.  We have stocked the wall with new Mirrolures, Vudu Shrimp, Grubs, ZMan plus Float Rigs for Live Shrimp.

Red Drum – the Reds are in the same areas as the Speckled Trout. When the bite turns off on one; the other normally turns on.  Anglers are using Live Shrimp, Live Mud Minnows, Popping Corks, Artificial Shrimp, Top-water Baits, Spoons and Gulp.  As the water cools and with these warm fall days it will only help the bite improve over the next few weeks.

Spot/Sea Mullet/Gray Trout – We heard today that Gallant’s Channel was loaded with boats and plenty of anglers fishing from the shore near and under the Beaufort Drawbridge for Spot.  Usually, the second or third week of October is when the bite fires off.  We’ll have plenty of fresh Live Bloodworms, artificial Bloodworms, Fishbites and Fresh Shrimp for the anglers wanting to fill up a cooler of Spot. The Sea Mullets should be in the Turning Basin, Coast Guard Station and Beaufort Inlet areas. Sam’s Gitter’s Spec Rigs tipped with Bait Shrimp will hook up the mullets. There is plenty of Grays in the mix and anglers are fishing around the Atlantic Beach Bridge at night for Grays plus Specks are mixed in.  Live Shrimp or Stingsilvers are the ticket when fishing the bridge at night.

Our charter captains ran charters yesterday and brought back plenty of Bluefish caught in the Inlet plus Spanish are still up at Cape Lookout trolling gold spoons. I’m sure you’ll run across plenty of False Albacore just look for the birds working the water. Anglers are reporting having a blast when they get into them so make sure you’re ready with a rod.

Flounder – I suppose you have heard about the ruling on closing Summer Flounder.  The injunction that was filed against the NC Marine Fishery, the judge has ruled that the season won’t close at this time. We have weighed Flounder this week so they’re still hanging around on the inside.  The Port Wall is an excellent place to fish for the fall bite. This is where they seemed to be before moving out to the ocean and anglers enjoy fishing around the port during the fall.  We are trying to keep Live Finger Mullet here at the shop but it does go quick so keep that in mind especially on the weekends.  

Kings – we haven’t heard too much on the Kings since last weekend’s hurricane.  There’s a tournament this weekend so King boats are already showing up.  I’m sure the East Side and the Shipping Channel will be holding some Kings.  Dead Tree Hole was holding fish before the storm .Somebody will probably track them down this weekend. We have Ribbonfish, Cigar Minnows and Rigs for you King guys.

 

Piers/Surf

The Oceanana Pier is having pretty good luck plugging for Bluefish and a few Spanish could show back up this weekend off the end of the pier.  There’s been Speckled Trout and Puppy Drum caught along with the normal bottom feeders: Spot, Sea Mullet (Virginia), Hogfish and those Pesky Pinfish.

From the beach for you Surf anglers: from the Oceanana Pier up the beach to Fort Macon Park anglers have been catching Puppy Drum in the slot plus a few 42” or larger running in the Surf.  Fresh Mullet or Cut Mullet will be the ticket in hooking one up. There’s plenty of Bluefish to be caught using a Bluefish Rig and Finger Mullet. You may even catch a Speckled Trout by casting a Mirrolure with a slow retrieve. The normal bottom feeders will be in the Surf: Spot, Sea Mullet, Black Drum, Pinfish and Sharks.

 

Offshore

With the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew not many Offshore boats have been able to get out to the Blue Water.  I’m sure there’s still Wahoo, Black Fin Tuna, Sailfish but when they’ll make it out is hard to say. Next week’s weather improves greatly with the wind and the ocean settling down.

Bottom fishing still remains good.